The Vegas Conspiracy: Rey Tiempo’s LIA 2026 diary
Rey Tiempo reflects on his 2026 LIA experience in Las Vegas, from joining the inaugural Gaming jury and championing gaming creativity at Creative LIAisons to reconnecting with industry friends and catching Metallica at The Sphere. He explores the synchronicities that made this year particularly special – and why he calls it “Playing While Working.”
For some strange reason, ever since I started coming to Las Vegas for the London International Awards, the experience has always been about synchronicities. Things aligning in the most unexpected, almost suspiciously perfect ways. Is there some ongoing conspiracy in the universe?
Last year was a landmark (being part of the jury in LIA’s 40th year, and conducting a live judging of the In-Game Ads Awards by turning 130 Creative LIAisons into judges), but 2026 seemed particularly determined to outdo itself.
Synchronicity No. 1: Gaming finally gets its own standalone category at LIA, and yours truly gets the incredible honor of serving on its inaugural jury, alongside some of the most brilliant creative minds in the world. Under the guidance of Jury President Marco Venturelli, we navigated three categories that are right up my alley: Evolution, Creative Use of Data, and the LIA debut of Gaming, each demanding entirely different perspectives on creativity and innovation.
The discussions were layered, amazingly spirited, thorough, and nuanced, and minds were changed more often than not – exactly what I believe great judging sessions should be! Most especially, seeing “Only in Battlefield” take home the first-ever Gaming Grand LIA felt like a truly fitting statement on how we feel gaming work in creative award shows should be judged and awarded.
Synchronicity No. 2: Being on the Creative LIAisons stage once again, this time talking about the power of Gaming with good friend, fellow gaming advocate, and fellow juror Lewis Tutssel, in a panel moderated by Little Black Book’s Laura Swinton-Gupta. And as fate would have it, Lewis also happens to be part of the team behind our inaugural Gaming Grand LIA winner. What are the odds?! The Creative LIAisons program has always been particularly special to me because it’s where we get to engage with the future of our industry. Seeing young creative minds light up when we talk about the creative possibilities of Gaming is something I will never get tired of.
And one of the more important topics we discussed during our panel was the strongest challenge facing Gaming today: it isn’t technology, accessibility, or even creativity. It’s perception. Gaming has an image problem, and the advertising industry is particularly vulnerable to it. There’s still this outdated notion of gamers as socially awkward, obsessive, immature, or somehow disconnected from the real world. And these misconceptions lead to work that can be wacky, superficial, and sometimes downright exploitative. It’s precisely why, as part of the inaugural Gaming jury, we were particularly careful to recognize work that genuinely understood gamers and gaming culture. Work that saw gaming from the inside looking out, rather than the outside looking in. After all, we’re not just judging advertising that happens to involve video games. We’re helping establish the standards of creative excellence for an entirely new category. And as a lifelong gamer myself, that responsibility meant the world to me.
Synchronicity No. 3: The combined familiarity of the people and the place. LIA in Las Vegas has become such a familiar sight that it carries with it a sense of comfort, surprisingly (I know, right? This is Las Vegas we are talking about, after all). And especially when the combination of people plus place hits me, it’s oddly comforting. Reconnecting with old friends, meeting new ones, and finding fellow Asians making their mark on the global creative stage, along with many others whose journeys intersected with mine in Las Vegas. These encounters remind me that the creative industry, for all its size and massive diversity, can feel like a wonderfully small world, with similar challenges, problems, fears, and human success stories.
Synchronicity No. 4: The Sphere. And Synchronicity No. 5: Metallica. Yes, the ridiculousness of The Sphere – this gigantic technological marvel that feels like something straight out of a video game. As probably the biggest Metallica fan you’ll ever meet, imagine my excitement at this spectacular collision of everything I love: creativity, technology, entertainment, immersive experiences, and the music I’ve lived and breathed for most of my life. Combined with the ridiculously huge scale of Metallica and its influence and importance in the music world (did I say I am the biggest Metallica fan?). So apparently, the universe wasn’t content with giving me a landmark year in Gaming, incredible creative conversations and connections, and the company of some of the most amazing people in the industry, in my birthday week no less (LIA judging has always coincided with my birthday, and I have been celebrating it here for the past five years). It just had to throw Metallica into the equation! In their very first residency at The Sphere. Ridiculous. Outrageous. Suffice it to say, I lost my mind in the huge pop-up store at The Venetian. So I dub thee, The Master of Merch.
So yes, suddenly, the whole trip felt like some elaborate conspiracy orchestrated around everything I love. Maybe it’s just coincidence. Maybe it’s the peculiar magic of Las Vegas. Or maybe, after more than two decades in this industry, I’m simply finding myself in that extraordinarily exciting space where the things I’ve spent my life working for and the things I’ve spent my life loving are finally coming together. I am living my mantra, “Playing While Working”.
Thank you, LIA, for another unforgettable year!
About the Author:
Tiempo is a multi-awarded Chief Creative Officer and Creative Gaming specialist. He is the creator of Game On and Gaming In Asia, the industry’s first and only content platform dedicated to Gaming X Marketing. A sought-after global thought leader, mentor, and speaker – representing the Philippines and leading gaming conversations on some of the most prestigious stages across Asia and around the world, Rey is a Top 100 Global Creative Leader of the Year, winner of major gaming awards, and regularly serves as a juror for global industry shows, where he also helps assemble categories and juries.
